Eskimos’ Watkins has unique abilities for lanky cornerback

Thursday, February 13, 2014

By Chris O'Leary, Edmonton Journal

Toronto Argonauts cornerback Patrick Watkins gets tackled by Calgary Stampeders’ Marquay McDaniel, left, and Randy Chevrier after intercepting a pass in a Canadian Football League game at McMahon Stadium on Sept. 21, 2013.

Photographed by:THE CANADIAN PRESS, CP

EDMONTON - Chris Jones’ first impression of Patrick Watkins wasn’t much different from anyone else who sets eyes on the Canadian Football League all-star cornerback.

At an American open tryout camp two years ago, Jones was in his first months as the defensive co-ordinator for the Toronto Argonauts. In Watkins, he saw an Argo hopeful who was built like a basketball player — six-foot-five, 205 pounds — looking for work as a defensive back.

Jones, who is only a couple of months into his new job as the Edmonton Eskimos head coach, quickly learned Watkins was the best of both worlds: A big, lanky defender with the speed of a player several inches shorter.

“First of all, when he walks up, you know he’s tall,” Jones said on the phone from Alabama, where he’s attending a coaches clinic this week.

“And then the next thing, he jumps up … on the vertical (jump test) and damn near touched the top (rung) on his first jump. So you know, he’s a guy who’s that tall and has that type of explosiveness and that physical ability is a unique quality.”

In signing as a free agent with the Eskimos on Wednesday, Watkins ensured that he will stick with Jones and stay in position to remain a CFL all-star — an award he’s picked up each of the last two years.

“He’s one of the best athletes that I’ve been able to coach since I’ve been in the league,” Jones said. “He brings a lot of attributes where he can play in the slot, he can play boundary corner. He’s able to take guys out of the game and, if we want to match him up like I used to with Brandon Browner (when Jones worked in Calgary, before Browner signed with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks in 2011), then we have the ability to match him up on a tall receiver.”

Only winning can undo the wounds a 4-14 season inflicted, and the Eskimos won’t get the chance to improve on last year’s shortcomings for another four-plus months. But adding Watkins, who poured a hearty dose of salt in the Eskimos’ troubles in a game at Commonwealth Stadium last September, might provide some solace to fans.

Watkins’ fingerprints were smeared all over the Argos’ come-from-behind win over the Esks on Sept. 28, when Edmonton wasted a 22-1 third-quarter lead. He had two interceptions and his quarterback sack on Kerry Joseph forced a fumble that he recovered at Edmonton’s five-yard line in the fourth quarter. That possession allowed the Argos to score the go-ahead touchdown to steal the win.

“He’s been a major contributor the last two years to Toronto and a great deal of our success has been off of the fact that he’s done some very good things,” Jones said. “Getting interceptions from the back, forcing fumbles, that’s just what he does.

“So he’s a 30-, 31-year-old guy, he’s a vet, he’s been through games in the NFL and it’s a deal where he brings some stability to the back end of what we’re trying to do.”

Watkins’ signing is just one piece of the Eskimos’ plans for the off-season. High on the priority list for Jones is finding a pair of coaches to add to his staff. The Eskimos still need an offensive line coach and are looking for a linebackers coach.

“(The search is) going well, but we want to make sure that we get the right guy and we’re willing to wait and see who’s out there and talk to as many people as possible before we go jumping the gun and deciding who we get,” Jones said.

“Steve McAdoo is our offensive co-ordinator. He’s an offensive line guy (eight years’ O-line coaching experience in the CFL) and I want him to make sure that he’s extremely comfortable with the guy who we hire to coach the position that he’s so familiar with.”

Jones is taking the same approach with the linebackers coach.

“We’re actively looking at some people to add, similar to the offensive line position,” Jones said. “We’re not in a real big hurry to fill the position. We want to talk with as many people as possible and, at the appropriate time, we’ll announce who we decided to hire.”

Lang to Ottawa

The Eskimos were quiet in the free agency market on Thursday, with no signings announced. The team lost free-agent defensive end Brandon Lang to the Ottawa RedBlacks, though. The 27-year-old spent two seasons in Edmonton and had 11 tackles, with three on special teams. in 2013.

Jumbotron to replace old scoreboard

Demolition of the scoreboard, which has been at the north end of Commonwealth Stadium the last 15 years, started Thursday. A $5.3-million Jumbotron and sound system will be in place for the Eskimos’ first pre-season game on June 13.

“This is another great example of the ongoing collaboration between the Eskimos and the City of Edmonton,” Esks president and CEO Len Rhodes said in a team release. “The city’s commitment to the stadium’s infrastructure shows their continued dedication to have Commonwealth Stadium remain a premiere venue in the country.”